


The Tales Of Sapphira Shepard's Heart

by abraasincadabra



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Hogsmeade, My First Work in This Fandom, On Hiatus, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-07
Updated: 2020-06-07
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:02:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24586558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/abraasincadabra/pseuds/abraasincadabra
Summary: **On indefinite hiatus until I can deal with HP againThis is the tale of Sapphira Shepard and how Bill Weasley won her heart.  This begins at the end of her fourth year, and his sixth.  It will eventually feature and reference many moments from Hogwarts Mystery and the Harry Potter books themselves. It's going to be a slow burn, but it will be worth it.
Relationships: Player Character (Hogwarts Mystery)/Bill Weasley
Kudos: 7





	The Tales Of Sapphira Shepard's Heart

**Author's Note:**

> This is the beginning of will be a long fic. It's the first thing I've written in forever. Hopefully you guys like it.

“I’m just worried about him, that’s all”, Charlie muttered as they were headed across the bridge from Care of Magical Creatures.  
“I’m more than sure he’s fine”, Sapphira said rolling her eyes, “this is Bill we are talking about. He’s always calm about everything, even if he does tend to put too much on his plate.” She glanced over to Charlie and saw he wasn’t so sure.  
“I mean what is he even doing anyway?” asked Tonks. She had come up between her and Charlie and threw an arm around each of them. The three of them had really bonded over the past few years. Sapphira considered them her closest friends, aside from Rowan and Bill anyway.  
“He is just losing his mind. I’ve never seen the stress get to him like this before, and he doesn’t even have his N.E.W.T.S. until next year. It’s just seems like the reality of taking every class has finally caught up to him.” Charlie shook his head. “I just don’t know how to get through to him. He stopped listening to my objections a while ago. If he were a Welsh Green or a Ridgeback, this would be easy,” he added shaking his head. As they reached the castle, and crossed the bridge, they caught a glimpse of the redhead in question across the courtyard. “Speaking of the boggart.”  
They watched in unison as Bill carried an arm full of books in one hand, and reading one in the other. He darted around the crowded courtyard with all the grace of a troll and almost tripped over a pair of first years. Sapphira cocked her head to the side as they watched him dart from view.  
“Yea, I’ll see what I can do.” She glanced back at Charlie; who’s expression had ‘told you’ written all over it. Tonks smirked, wishing her luck, as they all split to head towards their different common rooms.

Later that evening, Sapphira finally caught up with Bill in the library. She had been making her way around the castle, eliminating his other normal spots, but alas he was buried under parchment and books in one of the desks tucked away. If she hadn’t known any better, she’d say he’d been there for ages. He was disheveled and had a panicked air about him.  
It was late Friday evening, so the library was basically deserted. Even Madame Pince had somewhere better to be, because she was nowhere to be seen. Sapphira made her way next to him, and leaned back against the desk. If he noticed her, he made no show of it, just kept scribbling down notes. She cocked her head to the side and waited. She kept her arms behind her, supporting her, but crossed her legs. She was more casually dressed than normal, seeing as it was now officially the weekend, leaving her robes in her dorm, and opting to wear a soft blue sweater with her skirt. Finally, he looked up, a bit taken aback, but recovered quickly.  
“Hey…”  
“Hey yourself.”  
“Look, I’m a little busy, not that I don’t appreciate your company or anything,” he trailed off awkwardly, “I just need to study.” He moved back over his books, as if he conversation was over.  
“Do you need to study, Bill? Pretty sure it’s Friday night and you could ace anything thrown your way right now.”  
“Of course I need to. I need to be prepared in case something comes up, plus there are N.E.W.T.S. next year and I’ll have even less time if I become head boy.”  
“You mean when you become head boy.”  
“It’s not decided yet. That’s why I need to keep my skills sharp.”  
“Bill, nothing about what I’m seeing right now says ‘sharp skills. You need to relax before you put yourself in an early grave.” He narrowed his eyes at her but said nothing. “You know I’m right. You are worrying yourself into being a mess, which is the exact opposite of what you want.”  
“Sapphira, I’m fine. Really. Just let me be.”  
“Oh, I’m not going anywhere. I’m going to help you whether you want me too or not. I can’t be a good friend and let you go nuts, now can I?” He just closed his eyes and sighed.  
“Sapphira…”  
“Let’s make a deal, you stop studying or doing anything productive between right now and Sunday morning, and if your cognitive skills aren’t better then, you can use whatever type of payback against me you want.” He cocked an eyebrow at her, but gave it some thought. “Also, I’m taking you to Hogsmeade tomorrow to make sure you don’t cheat.” He furrowed his brow at that, as if he would cheat, but he still didn’t agree.  
“Plus, tomorrow’s my birthday.” She added this in the same tone but much quieter. Her cheeks turned slightly pink as she avoided his eyes.  
“Wait, really? I figured your birthday was in the summer or something because you haven’t done anything for it and no one mentions it.”  
“That’s because no one knows when it is, and they aren’t going to because you won’t tell anyone right?” he nodded “that includes your brother you know.”  
“Charlie can’t know? I thought you guys were besties?”  
“We are, but Charlie can’t keep a secret to save his life, and I don’t want people to bother me about it, because we both know if Tonks figured it out, she would plan something, and I’d like to avoid that.”  
He nodded and sighed “Alright, and I’ll go. If this means you will actually leave me be and let me study after Saturday… and I suppose for your birthday.”  
“A deal’s a deal.” He reached up, shook her hand. “Meet me in the Clocktower Courtyard about 10. The tea shop has brunch so we can sleep in a bit and not rush.” She pushed herself off the desk and started to walk away. “Remember, no more studying. Go crash or take a dive in the prefect bathroom. It’s probably deep enough.” And with that she disappeared from view. He stared after her a moment, completely thrown by everything that had just happened. He stood up and sighed, quickly cleaning up the desk with a wave of his wand and heading off to relax.

The next morning, he walked into the courtyard, almost a little nervous. Not that he would admit that. This was nothing but Sapphira trying to help, most likely at Charlie's direction. This didn't mean that the striking blonde, with piercing blue eyes you could get lost in, had any actual interest in him. Even if she trusted him with her apparent secret, that just gave credit to his skills as a prefect and a friend and nothing more. Which was alright of course, he was completely fine just helping her battle the vaults. He just wouldn't think about any deeper feelings. He just had to keep reminding himself of that, over and over. Easy enough, right?  
His eyes caught sight of her and reminded himself of this again. She was perched up on the bottom of the archway reading a novel. Her long blonde hair fell over one shoulder as she relaxed into her environment. She was completely engrossed in whatever she was reading, so he had a moment to compose himself and shake off the slight jitters he had.  
"Hey Sapphira."  
"Oh, morning." She smiled as she saw him and quickly got up. "Ready for brunch?" She dusted herself off and tucked her book away. “Let’s go then,” she said with a smirk. He nodded, staring into her deep blue eyes. It was an old muggle saying that the eyes were a window to the soul, but hers always spoke to his. There was just something about how she looked at him that rocked him to his core. Since the first day he met her, he had been awestruck by them. The more he had learned about her over the years only made it worse, only making the muggle idiom all the truer for him.  
They headed out of the gates and made their way down the well-worn path. There was just a light dusting of snow covering the surrounding fields, the probably last snow of the season. The entire scene was picturesque and calming. They walked in a comfortable silence for a bit, just enjoying the soft quietness of their surroundings. Sapphira looked up at the sky and smiled at the flurries fluttering about; there was nothing as naturally magical to her as fresh snowfall.  
Suddenly, they were almost stampeded by a group of third years sprinting towards the town. Bill called out to them in as much authority he good muster with a smirk on his face, telling them that Honeydukes will still be there if they walked. She smiled rolling her eyes at them.  
“Alas, a prefects work is never over.”  
“Sadly true,” he retorted. “You’ll be one next year though, right?’  
“Yea, Flitwick has already made the decision official. I’m still not sure I’m the right person for it though. Not exactly the best example for rule following over here.”  
“To be fair, you normally only break the rules in order to help others, which is an admirable quality. I’ve also been known to break the rules now and again.”  
“Yea but that has more to do with you helping me than anything. I’m an awful influence for you.” She glanced up at him smiling.  
“You say this as you are attempting to help me today, on your birthday no less. You don’t give yourself enough credit.” Her smile broadened at this, and she looked away.  
“Thanks, Bill” Just for a moment, he could have sworn she was blushing. He started to ask her about her issue with birthdays, but they were at the last ridge before Hogsmeade, where the little village finally comes into view, so he held off.  
“So, where did you want to go first? You mentioned something about brunch?”  
“Yea, at the tea shop. Figured we could start there then poke around the shops, beginning with Tomes and Scrolls of course.”  
So they made their way to Madame Puddifoot’s and managed to get one of the last remaining tables. The tiny shop was filled with other students, although most of them seemed to be on dates he realized. The love stuck looks and handholding made this too obvious to not notice. Sapphira must have noticed too, because a slight blush had returned to her cheeks and she looked almost apologetic when she finally met his eyes. “Their tarts are to die for” she explained shrugging. When their tray of them arrived, he had to agree with her. Once they were both quite stuffed, they left the cozy romantic shop and headed down the street towards the other stores.  
They spent the day browsing the various shops and casually discussing anything. He had to admit, she was right. He felt much more relaxed and focused than he had in days. Just laughing and spending time not stressing himself out seemed to calm his mind and put him at ease. Being with her seemed to help too, but he wasn’t ready to admit that.  
Their last stop had been Honeydukes, and as they left the store, she popped a couple of Glacial Snowflakes in her mouth and glanced at her watch. “Merlin its still early.” She glanced around to see if anything grabbed her attention. “I suppose we could take a stroll before heading back, if that’s okay with you.” Happy that their afternoon wasn’t over, he nodded and motioned for her to lead the way. They headed around the edge of town and began up the hill towards the Shrieking Shack.  
“So, I’ve been meaning to ask you,” he started hesitantly, “why don’t you want anyone to know it’s your birthday. I mean today has been nice, but I’m sure you could have had a much better time celebrating.”  
“That’s the thing, I hate celebrating it. And I know our friends. The second most of them find out, they would plan a whole thing with everyone and I would pretend to enjoy it, but I wouldn’t.” He waited for her to explain, and finally she sighed and continued. “The last time I actually celebrated my birthday was when I turned nine. This was back before Jacob disappeared and everything was still… normal. It was nice. Then shortly after, Jacob was expelled, and then of coursed disappeared. After that, and dad dying, life wasn’t normal anymore. Celebrating my birthday just feels like a big waste of time, especially when its only going to remind me of before. It’s easier to just have a nice day and not a party.” They had made their way to the lookout of the Shrieking Shack and she leaned against the fence and looked across the field as she fiddled with a ring on her finger. He glanced over at her, thinking how little he really knew her. She kept so much tucked away, buried below the surface, that he never really thought about what her life away from Hogwarts was like. He had known that Jacob had disappeared, but otherwise she rarely discussed her family. He remembered she never went home at Christmas, this last year she had even stayed at the burrow, but now he hated that he hadn’t dug deeper into why. How could he say he cared about her, even as just a friend, if he didn’t actually get to know her. Although, he had to admit, the fact that she trusted him enough to tell him all this made his heart flutter. Maybe he had a chance after all.  
“So, since you opened up, I guess I should too. I’ve been, well stressing a bit, because they haven’t announced if I got head boy or not. Its down to me and one other guy, Felix. I’ve just been building up most of my years here to reach that goal, and now I’m worried it will all be for nothing. I’ve just been hoping if I push myself these next few weeks, it will make all the difference.” He sighed and leaned next to her. She turned her head to look at him.  
“Bill, I have no question you’ll get it. You are one of the best prefects we have, and you are wickedly brilliant, and I say that as a Ravenclaw. Felix is cool and all, but so are you. You don’t need to doubt yourself. I’m sure they are just waiting till the end of the year feast to announce it. You know how dramatic Dumbledore likes to be.” She smiled at him and nudged his shoulder with hers. He smiled back. This was probably the last chance he had for his surprise, so he went for it.  
“Okay, I know you didn’t want a big birthday or anything… but I might have a gift for you.” His eyes danced with mischief, hers were wary. He pulled a brown paper wrapped package out of his coat pocket and handed it to her.  
“Did you actually carry this around all day?” She asked laughing, because how had she not noticed. “That’s so ridiculous. I suppose opening it won’t hurt anything, seeing all the trouble you went to. She pulled the paper back to reveal one of his “Weasley” sweaters from the wrapping. His favorite one, with the soft red yarn with a huge gold W. “Thi… this is your favorite,” she started astonished. “Bill, I can’t take this.” She looked up at him, realizing how close their faces were. She started to push it back, but his hands on hers stopped her.  
“It’s honestly getting a little snug after this last growth spurt. Plus I know you like to steal it when you can. I honestly enjoy seeing you wear it, so please. Keep it.” Their faces were almost touching, and his hands were holding her shoulders now, making their bodies closer than before. She looked up at him, with those deep blue eyes that make him melt, with a look of uncertainty but also curiosity. One of his hands moved up to lightly touch the side of her face, gently rubbing her cheek with his thumb.  
He started to lean in and close the breath of distance between them, loud voices and laughter came from the path. The two pulled away from each other just as a group of Hufflepuffs reached the top of the hill. They quickly nodded as they left and didn’t say a word as they made their way back to the castle. Both too embarrassed and nervous about what almost happened to say anything. Once they were back at the castle, they stopped in the courtyard again. Their awkward smiles and shuffling of feet fed into the silence. Finally, Bill broke the silence.  
“I do want to thank you for everything today. You were right, and it was… nice to just hang out just me and you.” She smirked at that and opened her mouth to ask him to clarify, when Charlie and Tonks rushed over, and once again the moment was lost. It wasn’t, however, forgotten.


End file.
